Author: Steve Stedman

SQL Agent Jobs are the backbone of many database maintenance and automation tasks, ensuring critical processes like backups, index maintenance, and data imports run smoothly. However, keeping track of job performance and identifying failures or bottlenecks can be a challenge, especially in environments with numerous jobs running on tight schedules. Without a clear, visual representation of job history, database administrators often find themselves sifting through logs or writing complex queries to uncover patterns or issues, which can be both time-consuming …

Visualizing SQL Agent Job History with Database Health Monitor Read more →

Improved Index Usage Tracking in Database Health Monitor Many SQL Servers reboot on a regular cadence, and most monitoring tools only show index usage since the last restart, which means that an index used heavily at the end of the month or once a quarter can appear unused for most of the year. This leads to dangerous assumptions and unnecessary index changes. In Database Health Monitor version three, we have introduced an important enhancement: index usage is now stored directly …

Why Accurate Index History Matters and How Database Health Monitor’s New Enhancements Help You See the Full Picture Read more →

When working with databases, the SQL LIKE operator is a powerful tool for pattern matching in queries. However, its performance can vary drastically depending on how it’s used, particularly when a wildcard character, such as the percent sign (%), is placed at the beginning of the search pattern. This seemingly small detail—known as a leading wildcard—can have a significant impact on query execution time and resource usage, often leading to full table scans instead of leveraging indexes. In this post, …

Leading Wildcards in LIKE Clauses Read more →

Database Health Monitor is a powerful tool for managing and optimizing SQL Server Performance, and one of its standout features is the dbAssistant. Available at the Server Overview panel, the Database Overview panel, and integrated into many reports, dbAssistant is designed to simplify database maintenance by proactively scanning for common issues and providing actionable solutions. What is dbAssistant? dbAssistant is an intelligent scanning tool that analyzes your SQL Server environment to identify potential problems that could impact performance or data …

Exploring the dbAssistant Feature in Database Health Monitor Read more →

Schema changes in SQL Server are often treated as routine. A table gets altered, an index is added, a procedure is updated, and everyone moves on. But when something breaks, performance suddenly degrades, or an application starts behaving differently, one of the first questions is always the same: What changed? In many environments, that question is surprisingly hard to answer. The Invisible Problem with DDL Changes DDL operations don’t show up in query performance charts. They don’t always trigger alerts. …

Tracking Schema Changes with Database Health Monitor Read more →

SQL Server Corruption Class – Learn How to Prepare and React Welcome to our deep dive into the critical topic of SQL Server corruption. In this comprehensive class, we’ll explore the ins and outs of preparing for and mitigating the risks associated with database corruption. Whether you’re a database administrator, IT professional, or business owner relying on SQL Server for mission-critical data, understanding how to safeguard your systems is paramount. Corruption can strike unexpectedly, leading to data loss, downtime, and …

SQL Server Corruption Class – Learn How to Prepare Read more →

Why Stedman Solutions Should Be Your SQL Server Consultant If you’re looking for a reliable SQL Server consultant to enhance your database environment’s performance, stability, and security, look no further than Stedman Solutions. Here’s why you should consider us: 1. True SQL Server Specialists Stedman Solutions is dedicated exclusively to SQL Server. Unlike general IT consultants, we focus 100% on SQL Server, enabling us to offer in-depth expertise across all areas, including Performance Tuning, Disaster Recovery, and high availability. Our …

We Can Be Your SQL Server Consultant Read more →